VIOLENCE CLAIMS THE LIFE OF FOURTH ‘GEZİ PARK’ PROTESTER

TURKEY – Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19-year-old protester who was beaten by “unidentified” people during ‘Gezi Park Protests’ on June 2nd in Eskişehir had passed away due to his injuries today in hospital.

Korkmaz was brutally beaten by a group wearing civilian clothes, as he was trying to escape a police tear gas attack. His heart stopped working today at around 11 a.m., The attackers have not been detained. There have been suspicions that the assaulters might be undercover cops.

The university student is the fourth protester to die so far in the Gezi Park demonstrations, after Mehmet Ayvalıtaş in Istanbul, Abdullah Cömert in Antakya and Ethem Sarısülük in Ankara. Ayvalıtaş, 20, was hit by a car during the protests and Cömert, 22, died after receiving a hit to his head. Sarısülük, 26, died from his wounds on June 14 after being shot in the head.

Police officer Mustafa Sarı also died after falling from a bridge while pursuing fleeing protesters in Adana.

The Gezi Park events, which have continued for more than a month, have also left more than 7800 people injured due to police’s heavy-handed attacks against demonstrations.